The present invention relates to devices and methods, according to the preambles of the claims and for transferring objects in a sample manipulation system, in which the objects are positioned on at least one essentially horizontal work field having a lengthwise dimension X and a transverse dimension Y.
Devices and systems are known, for use in assaying genes (“genomics”), proteins (“proteomics”), for discovering new active substances (“drug discovery”), and in clinical diagnosis (“clinical diagnostics”), which include, for example, a liquid handling robot and an object transfer robot. Such a system is, for example, the work platform distributed by the present applicant under the name “Genesis Robotic Sample Processor”. This is a device for manipulating samples in containers and/or on specimen carriers (e.g., slides), the container and/or slide being positioned on an essentially horizontal work field having a lengthwise dimension X and a transverse dimension Y and the device including robot manipulators for manipulating the samples. This manipulation may relate to receiving and/or delivering fluids, particularly liquids, e.g., within this X-Y field. In addition, centrifuges and other processing stations or analysis stations for samples, such as fluorescence readers and the like, may be provided.
For such work platforms, the identification of objects, such as sample tubes, microplates, and other containers containing samples, is important. “Carriers”, which are typically implemented for accommodating three microplates, are also referred to here as objects.
Such known work platforms include at least one rail extending parallel to the X direction and at least one displacement unit, movable back and forth in the X direction on this rail using drives, having a tool for characterizing an object and a motorized gripping mechanism for grasping and moving an object toward the characterization tool. Furthermore, this device includes a processor for controlling the motions of the displacement unit and the actions of the gripping mechanism and for processing the information provided by the characterization tool. The tool is typically implemented as a barcode reader and positioned on the displacement unit in the known work platforms.
Samples which are to be processed and/or assayed are typically located in tubes or in the wells of microplates. Such tubes are placed in suitable holders, so that each holder may accommodate a row of tubes which are positioned next to one another in a line in the Y direction, i.e., in the direction of the transverse dimension of the work platform. These holders are displaceably guided on the work area. Samples may also be located in the wells of microplates and/or may be pipetted out of the sample tubes into these wells. In this case, three microplates are typically positioned on one “carrier”, which is also displaceably guided on the work area.
To check the identity of the samples in a tube holder or on a carrier, this tube holder or carrier is grasped with a gripper and pulled into the measurement region of the barcode reader. After the identification, the checked objects, i.e., the tube holder having the sample tubes and/or the carrier having the microplates, are pushed back again to their original location on the work area.
Such work platforms have proven themselves in many ways. However, the necessity often arises of transferring individual tubes, tube holders, microplates, or carriers to another position on the work area and/or the work field of the work platform.
This is typically performed by hand, on conveyor belts, or even using a robot manipulator, for example, which may move on the same rails as a liquid handling arm used for pipetting liquids.
Such a work platform is also known from U.S. Pat. No. 6,060,022 and is described as an automated system for processing samples. Depending on the complexity of the system and the process steps to be executed therewith, such a system may have multiple robot manipulators.
It has been shown that such robot manipulators must be used frequently enough that one must often wait for their availability to transfer objects on the work area of the work platform. In addition, the necessary identification of the samples represents complex work, which may slow down the operation of such a work platform.